Romantic
by CDR Sheridan
Summary: The story about Commander Shepard became a legend. But in reality it ended not as a legend supposed to end. Some AU about the ending. Warning: Death of a main character.


**Title**: Romantic

**Feedback**: Always appreciated.

**Disclaimer**: These characters definitely are not mine.

**Author's Note**: Well, personally Kaidan is my favorite NPC and constant Love Interest, but in this fic I tried to show both him and Shepard in different light… They both are not perfect.

Also it was originally written before the Extended Cut DLC.

* * *

"Professor, do you believe in this data?"

"Data?" he frowned, rubbing his forehead with a webbed hand. "You wanted to say _stories _and _legends_".

"Do you really believe that Shepard didn't exist?" the assistant asked, offended by the answer. He had been obsessed with books and films about the famous heroine since his childhood.

"Ah, yes, _Shepard_!" the professor got angry, and the scales on the back of his head rose. "So, a few thousand years ago, our galaxy was under attack of the Absolute Evil in the form of Sentient Ships…"

"The Reapers," the student shyly prompted.

"The reapers, the croppers – does it really matter! And then, the heroic Shepard –"

"Commander Shepard!"

"…came and saved the galaxy," the elder finished, disapprovingly waving his head. "Alone. With her bare hands."

"Not alone!" the younger objected. "She had her loyal crew and convinced the Fleet Allies to help her!"

"Oh, and how without it?" the professor asked spitefully. "And they lived happily ever after. Or, at least, died on the same day."

The student sulked; his tail was sweeping the surface of the dusty planet.

"Well," the professor started suddenly, vainly trying to make the interlocutor change his mind. "I can assume that many years ago some Shepard existed. And, maybe, not Shepard – who knows which metamorphoses occurred to her name? Anyway, to assume that she saved the galaxy is… strange, at least. Fiction. Fable. A nice legend. More likely, she really became famous for something. Maybe, she stopped the invasion from the nearby planet, who knows? So much time had passed. Maybe, she even didn't exist and "Shepard" is a collective image. I'm sure that 99% stories about her are mere fiction. The heroine and her crew save the galaxy with the help of some allies. However, I must admit, a legend is quite beautiful."

"And what if some of this stories are true?" the student asked with a challenge.

"Then good luck with your search," the professor advised with a smile. "If one assumes for a moment that the legends are true, the final battle with this Galactic Evil of yours took place here."

But the student almost didn't pay any attention to him: he was staring at the horizon dreamingly, imaging the brave Commander Shepard appearing there. To be honest, there wasn't the one and only image of her: on the some illustrations there was a young red-haired woman with green eyes and freckles, a brunette with cold blue eyes was on another illustrations. The young man even remembered the bold girl with red eyes from the recent movie. Shepard's armor varied from the heavy, metal one, to soft black fabric, rather revealing. Sometimes the sniper rifle popped over her shoulder; sometimes it was a long sword. Even some wild suggestions took place that she didn't need a weapon, because she used some kind of magic, called "biotics".

However, all sources agreed in one thing: this Shepard was a human (this species existed nowadays). The student thought for a while that he had just seen a human female with short shaggy hair walking by arm with a tall dark-haired human male. He shook his head, losing the mirage.

* * *

Kaidan, stumbling, was wondering through the wreckage, still not losing a hope to find a missing Commander. A few hours ago a computer in his hardsuit showed that Shepard was somewhere nearby. And then… then, it seemed, there was a blast. Major only remembered that he had been brought down by the blast wave and he had lost his consciousness for a moment, hitting something with his head. At the last moment he noticed the Normandy flying away from this hell. Joker wouldn't lose the second ship; he's not a damn pilot, he's the best pilot in the whole fleet!

Kaidan regained consciousness not in the best condition: his heavy armor became the twisted scrap metal. The metal on his hand melted, hurting with every move. Though, even if he removed it (with the remained skin, of course) it wouldn't be much better – the medigel system was broken. His whole body should be black and blue, with cuts and bruises.

In fact, Kaidan didn't have many options: sit here and wait till somebody would find him (if somebody would search for him in the first place) or stand up and try to find Shepard; she couldn't be gone too far. Alenko even didn't want to think about what'd happened, as well as he didn't have a thought that something could go wrong. Not with Shepard_. On your feet, soldier…_

After three hours of searches (in Kaidan's opinion; in fact it hardly been thirty minutes) he wanted to lie down on the rubbish and die. How had people been living without medigel and some navigators? Major clenched his teeth and stood up once again. Well, it seemed he didn't check this way…

Lame in the right leg and cursing, Kaidan went forward. What was it? He really heard someone's cough.

"Shepard? Shepard!"

She looked bad. His suit looked like a parade armor comparing to hers. Commander was lying on the rubbish, twisted, but still breathing.

"Kaidan?" her voice was low and cautious, even distrustful. In fact, she was pretty sure that his voice was a hallucination.

Major rushed forward and grasped her shoulders. Shepard didn't react. With difficulty, trying not to look at her bloodstained hands (just where and how she had lost some parts of her armor?) and face, Alenko seated himself on the pile of rubbish and gently put her near him, simultaneously supporting and embracing her. To carry her somewhere was obviously a bad idea (besides, he had no idea in what direction he should go).

"Help is coming," he said, not sure where to start. "Wait a little longer. Just hold on!"

Despite this cheerful and optimistic statement, Alenko had no idea where this help was (if it existed at all), though he did his best to sound sure. He even couldn't bring himself to ask what'd happened.

"It seemed to me that… Joker could fly away…" she mumbled, uncertain, making a pause after a word or two. "And the other crew… too…"

"Of course, they escaped." Alenko assured her (at least, he had seen Normandy with his own eyes). "I suppose they managed to get to some sunny planet. Just imagine how Joker would drag EDI to the beach!"

"No… he wouldn't…" Shepard coughed once again. "I – I destroyed the synthetics… And EDI… she's…" her voice trailed off.

Kaidan frowned. Honestly, he couldn't imagine what had happened there, but the fact was that the Reapers suddenly just stopped as if somebody pushed some button. As machines without batteries. Maybe, it would appear strange and improbable for him earlier, but in the recent years spent with Commander, Alenko knew for sure: there's nothing impossible with Shepard.

"So, he would sit under the shade of a palm," Kaidan supposed, trying to sound casual "and we will find him there."

It's totally ludicrous; bullshit! But what alternative did he have? To say "Never mind, nobody will rescue us, so we can just lie down and die"?

"The quarian… and the geth… now… no synthetics…" her whispers turned to cough.

"But the quarian retake their planet. So do us, by the way," Major continued as he felt her breath became slower and harder. He sincerely hoped that a conversation, even the stupidest one, wouldn't let her lose consciousness.

What if the help's really on the way?

"And you?" Shepard asked, barely moving her lips.

"Me? I told you I'd give everything for a chance to hold you again," Alenko smiled, embracing her.

"I wish… could feel this… _Cerberus_ implants… synthetic… eyes… too."

Shepard opened her eyes and Alenko for the first time noticed that irises didn't react to anything.

"Sorry," Kaidan said in a dull voice.

Snicker or hem?

"For what?" she asked, suddenly angrily.

Major paused.

"You know… I – I wanted to talk about many things… Horizon… for example…" she added thoughtfully.

"You were with _Cerberus_ as I recall." Major frowned. "I thought we were past this."

"Right…" she coughed. "I didn't… answer your letter… at that time…"

Kaidan didn't answer. He was thinking about the night spent with Shepard before the assault on the Illusive Man's base, farewell in London… He even couldn't imagine that Commander was still mad at him after that damned colony… And what could he do? He was with the Alliance. As she was, but in her own way.

"That was long ago!" he roared, suddenly even for himself.

"You didn't write… when I was under arrest… didn't come…" Almost a whisper.

"I couldn't," Kaidan said calmly, sighing deeply. "I had to care about other things."

"Like the doctor… from the Citadel?" Shepard asked hoarsely. "Michele?"

Kaidan froze.

"Why do you think so?" he murmured. "You know, if I believed in gossip, I should assume that you and – "

"If you believe gossip…" she answered "then the Illusive Man… is a hero…"

"So why didn't you tell me that earlier?" Alenko used the last argument.

"Didn't want to… now understand…. no other chance… This still… hurts…"

So, she knew (or guessed) since the beginning, but said nothing?! Didn't want to feel upset? Fooled him? Major suddenly felt anger and guilt toward himself, because he didn't manage to notice this earlier, though his pride was strongly against apologies.

Silence.

"Shepard?"

Silence once again.

"Shepard! I'm very sorry about Horizon, do you hear me? And about everything else – this really in the past now. Sorry!" he finally said.

Silence.

"Shepard?"

Major gingerly passed his hand over her forehead and then touched her neck.

Silence, once again. Had she heard his words?

Kaidan leant back on the rubbish, still holding Shepard in his arms, and looked at the dark stormy sky, peering at the ships of the Fleet.

At first he was mad at himself, then – at Shepard, after her – at the Reapers. And finally he was angry with himself once again. What a twisted revenge it was. Now, at his last moments, he would feel guilty. He was conscience-stricken.

"_You are romantic, Alenko_," she said once.

Major closed his eyes, sighing deeply and relaxing. The burn hurt with new force. So, here's your heroic end, Alenko! Dreamed of being a Spectre? Wanted to be a hero, traveling in space in order to show something to a woman you loved?

"And they died in one day, stopping the invasion…" And nobody would ever know anything else.

* * *

"Major! Major Alenko, can you hear me?" a barely recognizable voice. It seems the voice belonged to Coats. Coats?!

Kaidan opened his eyes and immediately narrowed them because of bright light of someone's omnitool. The same wreckage around, and he was still automatically holding Commander… An Alliance officer was kneeling beside them; a med brigade (judging by their muddy and blood-stained uniform) nearby. One of the medics rushed to Kaidan.

"One alive, at least…" Coats sighed; he looked worn out. "We've already found Anderson and now Shepard…" he didn't continue his monologue, just pursed his lips and turned away. The others bustled, putting the body on the stretcher.

"Kaidan," Michele said in a faltering voice, cleansing his wounds with medigel, "you even can't imagine how good to see you alive."

Major winced, hearing her accent.

"Same here, Michele," he forced a smile. "Now, please, help me to stand up."

For a moment Kaidan was completely sure that now, if he turn his head, he would see Shepard with an impudent smile on her face running out of the wreckage – as a few years ago, after they defeated the Sovereign, who attacked the Citadel. How foolish.

So he left, leaning against Michele, listening to her with half an ear, and didn't notice that a torn lace with N7 dog-tag slipped off Shepard's neck.

* * *

The assistant angrily and almost childishly kicked some wreckage, hurting his leg. Something glittered on the sunlight. He looked downward with the scrutiny of curiosity. A piece of dark and scratched metal, bearing a barely visible inscription in some ancient language. However, one engraving was recognized immediately. He wondered what did it really meant. An important symbol, ciphered text or just a meaningless picture?

"Professor! Look," the assistant said, handing an N7 dog-tag over to the older colleague. "See? And you didn't believe me!"

The student closed his eyes, pleased with his archaeological find, imagining a beautiful and romantic… story? A legend?

And was that really important?

* * *

_Fin._


End file.
